ABU DHABI — The World Future Energy Summit, the Middle East’s largest future energy and sustainability event, opened Monday (Jan. 13) with tens of thousands of international attendees and hundreds of exhibitors driving new business deals, exchanging knowledge, and experiencing innovations.

Major business announcements have included the inauguration of the India Pavilion with its many solar innovations, Tadweer (The Centre of Waste Management – Abu Dhabi) signing four Memorandums of Understanding to support new levels of waste management, and the Kingdom of The Netherlands and Shell highlighting Dutch participation at Expo 2020 Dubai.

Event organizers are expecting 33,500 attendees from 170 countries, along with 800 specialist exhibitors across the fields of energy, solar, water, waste management, and smart cities.

“The World Future Energy Summit’s massive opening shows that this is the number one global event to do business in future energy and sustainability, especially to access opportunities in the fast-paced UAE and Middle East markets,” said Grant Tuchten, Group Event Director, World Future Energy Summit. “The event is seeing unique business deals, exchanging the world’s best free content, and global innovations that can transform daily lives. Experience the week of excitement and stay tuned for more major exhibitor announcements.”

The Energy Forum, the EcoWASTE Forum, the Water Forum, and the Smart Cities Forum are hosting more than 280 speakers to exchange global best practices. The Future Sustainability Summit, being held under ‘Rethinking Global Consumption, Production, and Investment,’ is hosting 1,000 delegates and 90 speakers to set the global sustainability agenda.

One of the biggest showcases is the 3rd Climate Innovations Exchange (CLIX), hosted by the UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE). The immersive zone is abuzz with 42 of the world’s most innovative sustainability start-ups across the Future of Food and Agriculture, Sustainability in Space, the Future of Energy, and the Future of Mobility.

The World Future Energy Summit, hosted by Masdar as part of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, a global platform for accelerating the world’s sustainable development, is being held at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC), until Jan. 16, 2020. — SG